Alexander hamilton wood



5, 'H: WOOD.

MINING MACHINE. A'NLICATION FILED JUNE. 1915.

Patented Aug. 8, 1916.

. UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ALEXANDER HAMILTON WOOD, OF PETR OS,. TENNESSEEpAS SIGNOR TOTHE JEFFREY MENUFAC'IURING COMPANY, OFOOLUMBUS, OHIO, ACORPORATION OF OHIO.

Murine-MACHI E Specification of Letterslatent. Patented A110. 8 191'6 Application fi led June 1711915. Serial No. 34,104.

1 0 all whom it m (13 concern."

Be it known that I, Au'ixasnna Humans 001), a citizen of the United States, resid-;

ing at Petros. in the county of Morgan and Y the State of 'lennessee, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mining- .lllachincs. of which the following is a specification, reference being had thcreinto the accompanying drawing.

The present invention relates especially to mining machines of the class in which each is provided withits own track wheels and is adapted to perform the cutting operations while supported onthe said track wheels.

A machine embodying my invention adapted to travel into a mine room along a central trac and, after reaching a suitable position. is adapted to cut a semicircular'kerf 1n the coal by a swinging movement of the cutter. But it is often desirable to use such a machine in places where a longer face is required than the cutter can reach by its swinging movement. In such cases the cutter must be fed into the coal at one side of the room, after whichthe machine is moved bodily along a. track laid parallel with the face at such a distance therefrom as to secure the desired depth of cat. As the tractive effort of the propelling wheels is insullieient to accomplish such feeding, anchors are fixed in the coal face to which afeed cable is attached, the winding up of which draws the machine alongthe track tocut the coal.

In the class of machines to which this invention specifically relates a single feed cable' is provided which may be used optionally either to swing the cutter mechanism with respect to the mainframe or to move the whole machine bodily. A's heretofore constructed, when machines of this character have been fed across the face of the coal in the manner above described, the point of draft of the feed cable has been at a distance from the coal face varying with the depth of cut, producing undesirable strains in the feed cable andin the track, and tending to tear the anchor from the coal. I

It is the Objtljl} of this invention to provide a. machine of this general class wherein the feed mechanism may be so adjusted that the line of draft of the feed cable will be close to and parallel with the face. of the coal when cutting any desired depth ofeke if.

The devices by which attain the object are set forth in the following specification several figures.

{is illustrated in the drawings'this ma chine comprises a supporting truck, adapted to travel over the tracks ofthe mine, and provided with power devices by which the truck wheels may be rotated to propel the machine along the tracks of the mine. Upon this truck platform is mounted a coalfcutting mechanismhaving a horizontally projecting cutter arm'iulapted to be rotated about a vertical axis, and cable winding mechanism by which the feed cable may be wound to produce the rotation of the cutter arm or to move the machine bodily along thetrack to force the cutter arm against the coal to. cut it.

The truck consists of a structural steel platform 1 having suitable axle boxes in which .are journaled the axles2 and 3 to} which are fixed the track wheels 4 and 5 adapted to travel ove:- the rails (3 of the mine tracks. Mounted on the truck platform 1, at

' its rear end, a motor 7 connected by suitablewormgearing'to the cross shaft 8't0 drive it. y The shaft 8 is supported in bearings S), 10 and 11 attached to the truck platform, and carries a sprocket wheel 12 con-' nected thereto by a clutch 13. The sprocket wheel 12 serves, through the-chain 1-l and the sprocket wheel 15. to drive theaxle 2 and the wheels 1 to propel the machine from place to place.

Attached to the truck platfornsl are gnide pedestals 16 which engage the depending lugs 17 of the supporting ring 18. Mounted upon the supporting ring 18. adapted to r0- tation about the vertical axis thereof, 1s a main frame plate 19 of the coal cutting ele- I scribed. Mounted on the'frame plate 19 is a winding drum 21. upon which may be wound the cable 22 the outer endof which may Figure 1 is a plan view of a machine embe attached to projections 23 of the supporting ring to cause the rotation of the coal cutter thereon. A suitable motor 24 is attached to the frame plate 19 and is connected by suitable gearing to actuate the coal cutter and the winding drum.

The rotary bracing frame element or hingin structure 19 for the cutter arm 20 can be held rigidly stationary in either of several positions by the lock device at 32 and the notches 233, in the way common in machines of this class. so that the cutter -an be held at right angles to the truck frame or at any other angle desired.

The machine can make long wall cuts, as shown in Fig. r. or van make cuts in a coal face directly ahead of the track; in room" work by swinging it from one side of the truck across the front to the opposite side; and in narrower work, as in entries, by first locking the cutter bar (by the devices at 32 and 33) in an angular position, as shown by dotted line 3-1, Fig. 23, then unlocking and swinging the ba across to the other side of the entry or room, to the line shown at 35, then locking it again and drawing it, with the machine, bodily backward along the dot ted line 36.

A plurality of guide sheaves 25 are mounted upon the frame plate 1!) to guide the feed cable 2:! from the drum ill to the point of attachment 23. Spaced along the longitudinal center line of the cutter arm 20 are a plurality of apertures 26 and into any one of these may he set the stud shaft 27 upon which is mounted the guide sheave 28 in horizontal alinement with the sheaves 25, and over this guide sh are 28 the cable 22 may be passed to a suitable anchor 29 set in the face of the coal body.

When a machine of this class is to be used in the long-wall system of mining, a track 1W is laid parallel with the coal face. at a suitable. distance therefrom to secure the desired depth of cut, having convenient connection with the tracks (3 of the mine, as shown at ll of Fig. ll. The machine is then brought into the room and advanced to its extreme right hand side with the cutter arm extending forward into the angle formed by the face and rib. The cutter mechanism is then started and the cutter arm rotated to a position at right angles to the line of the track and locked in that position. The anchor 2!? is then placed in the coal body and the feed cable d awn out and connected thereto. As machines of this class have been heretofore iamstriazted the feed cable 22 draws directly from the sheaves 25 to the anchor 21 pulling obliquely toward the .coal face, subjecting the track to great lateral stresses, cramping the machine to rausc 1111- due tension on the feed cable and tending to tear the anchor from the coal.

In my improved construction the guide sheave 28 is adjustable outward and inward toward and from the coal face and may be set in close proximity to the coal face and the feed cable 22 carried around it to the anchor 25) so that the line of draft on the machine is brought close to the coal face and the track, cable and ancho' are entirely relieyed of the excessive stresses referred to.

cuttermechanism against swinging with the cutte arm extended laterally from the base frame, and feeding mechanism comprising a power actuated flexible, d aft member, circularly extending guide means for the draft member mounted to more with the cutter mechanism, and an auxiliary guide derhe for the d aft member mounted on the cutter mechanism radially outside the aforesaid guide means, the draft member being adapted when passed over the said guide means to swing the cutter mechanism against the coal and when extended over the auxiliary guide device and thence along the coal face to exert a propelling draft on the machine on a line close to the coal face.

2. in a mining machine of the character set forth, the combination of a base frame, t'ack wheels supporting the base frame, a cutter mechanism having an elongated cut ter arm projecting horizontally from the base f am aml mounted to swing laterally in relation thereto, means for locking the cutter mechanism against swinging with the cutter arm extended late ally from the base frame, and feeding mechanism comprising a poweactuated ilcxiblc draft member, circularly extending guide means for the draft member mounted to move with the cutter mechanism, and an auxiliary guide device mounted on the cutter mechanism 'adially outside the aforesaid guide means for ad justment toward and from the coal (face, whereby the flexible draft member can be. passed over the circularly extending guide. means to swing the cutter mechanism against the coal or can be extended around the auxiliary guide device and thence along and closely adjacent to the coal face to advance the machine bodily along the coal face.

3. la a mining machine of the character set forth, the combination of a base frame, track "heels supporting the base frame, a cutter mechanism having an elongated cutter arm projecting horizontally from the basct' illll. and mounted to swing laterally in relation thereto, means for locking the cutter mechanism against swinging with the cutter arm extended laterally from the base frame, and feeding mechanism adapted to swing the cutter mechanism relative to the base frame and to advance the machine bodily to feed the cutters against the coal, said feeding mechanism comprising. a power actuated flexible draft member and a guide dc: vice for the draft member mounted on the cutter mechanism for adjustment outward and inward relative to the base frame, whereby the line of draft on the machine can be brought close to the coal face. i

4. In a mining machine of the character set forth, the combination of a base frame, track wheels supporting the base frame, a cutter mechanism having an elongated cutter arm projecting horizontally from the base frame and mounted to swing laterally in. relation thereto, means for locking the cutter mechanism against swinging with the cutter armaextended laterally from the base frame, and feeding mechanism adapted to swing the cutter mechanism relative to the base frame and to advance thev machine bod.- ily to feed the cutters against the coal, said feeding mechanism comprising a power actuated flexible draft member and a guide device for the draft member carried by the machine and mounted for adjustment outward and inward relative to the base frame,

whereby the line of draft on the machine 7 can be brought close to the coal face.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signa- A ture.

ALEXANDER HAMILTON W901). 

